RIYADH: The next 10 years will be a golden era for Saudi hospitality as the country has laid the foundations for the transformation of the sector, according to a senior Knight Frank official in the Middle East and North Africa.
“You can call the next 10 years of Saudi Arabia the golden age of its hospitality. This will not happen again in the years to come and years to come. This will lay the foundation for long-term hospitality. Turab Saleem, head of hospitality, tourism and leisure consulting at Knight Frank in the Middle East and North Africa, told Arab News in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Future Hospitality Summit in Riyadh.
The MENA region ranks first on the global tourism map
Saleem added that the entire Middle East and North Africa region is becoming a tourism hotbed as each country develops its own tourism plan to elevate the industry.
“Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Qatar are putting the region on the international map of global tourism with greater force and force. You have half a million keys under development in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Saudi Arabia Where else is it?” Saleem asked.
The advent of Saudi cuisine
Saleem predicted that Riyadh will soon become one of the world’s top five gastronomic destinations and added that the flavors of the Saudi capital will fascinate the world.
“Riyadh will be among the top five-six destinations in the world. He will emerge from Riyadh and perform. Three or four very talented leaders and entities do it, and one or two are ahead of the rest. I can’t share the name, though,” Saleem pointed out.
He added: “It’s a matter of a few months. Soon you will see great Saudi kitchens launched from Riyadh that will reach London, New York and other international destinations.
Saleem hailed the Kingdom’s lofty ambitions to attract 100 million tourists by the end of this decade as part of its Vision 2030 plan.
“It’s a very ambitious goal. We will get there. Even if we partially achieve it, it’s still a big success. Let the world know that we are on par with them,” Saleem said.
